Digital Commons Network^™

Essay, The Mighty Mangrove, Carol A. Mickett

Creekshed: Ekphrastic Writing with the Archives

An ekphrastic reflection on mangroves in Tampa Bay.

The Impact Of Interactive Read-Alouds On Students’ Literacy Development, Kaitlyn Hill

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined how multicultural interactive read-alouds support first-graders’ literacy skills and cultural awareness. Multicultural literature was used to conduct interactive read-alouds to first-grade students. A look across all data sources suggested three main themes that occur throughout the research study. These themes included student engagement and questioning, making connections by experiencing culture through an authentic lens, and developing cultural awareness and empathy for those who are different. It was evident that incorporating multicultural literature into classroom instruction had a positive impact on students’ literacy development and cultural awareness. The data suggested that these multicultural texts supported the students’ development …

Cationic Liposome Nanoparticles For Drug Delivery To The Inner Ear, Firas Al-Ashker

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapy drug associated with a high incidence of hearing loss, particularly in younger patients. This ototoxicity is linked to the drug’s long-term accumulation in the cochlea, where it can persist for years following treatment. Current clinical interventions, such as sodium thiosulfate (STS), offer partial protection against hearing loss but are limited by poor drug penetration into the inner ear. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a targeted drug delivery platform capable of overcoming anatomical and physiological barriers to reach the cochlea more effectively. Specifically, we aimed to design cationic liposome nanoparticles …

Cardiac And Coronary Hemodynamics: Using An Integrated Ex-Vivo Beating Heart Experiments And Computational Modeling, Chenghan Cai

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Cardiovascular function arises from the complex interactions among the heart, the arterial system, and the coronary circulation. Questions such as how variations in left ventricular (LV) loading conditions affect LV and aortic functions through LV–aorta interactions; and how coronary artery diseases, such as stenosis, impact cardiac function and myocardial perfusion including left and right coronary perfusion via LV–coronary interactions, remain understudied. To answer these questions, this thesis focuses on two core objectives: (1) investigate the effects of LV loading conditions on LV and aortic functions through LV–aortic interactions by performing ex-vivo beating rat heart experiments, and (2) elucidate the impact …

Anti-Tumor Activity Of Camptothecin Analog Conjugate Of An Rspo4-Based Peptibody Targeting Lgr4/5/6 In Preclinical Models Of Colorectal Cancer, Yukimatsu Toh, Ling Wu, Jianghua Tu, Zhengdong Liang, Adela M Aldana, Jake J Wen, Li Li, Sheng Pan, Julie H Rowe, Martha E Hensel, Carolyn L Hodo, Rick A Finch, Kendra S Carmon, Qingyun J Liu

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Background: Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a significant advancement in targeted cancer therapy, but none are approved for colorectal cancer (CRC). LGR4/5/6, highly expressed in most CRCs, are promising targets. While LGR5-targeting ADCs show strong anti-tumor effects, their efficacy is limited by LGR5 loss in some CRC cells. RSPO4, a natural ligand for LGR4/5/6, binds all three receptors with high affinity. This research develops RSPO4-based peptibody drug-conjugates (PDCs) to simultaneously target LGR4/5/6, offering a novel therapeutic approach for CRC.

Methods: LGR4/5/6 expression in CRCs was analysed using RNA-seq datasets and Western blot. Peptibody binding affinities were measured, conjugated to camptothecin analog, …

Smartphone Attachment In Emerging Adults : Impacts On Mental Health Through Basic Psychological Needs, Jialin Xiao

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

In the digital era, smartphones have become integral to daily life, fulfilling various emotional needs. Mirroring human attachment, past studies have found people can develop three types of attachment to smartphone: secure (comfortable, dependable connection), anxious (intense emotional reliance with separation anxiety) and avoidant (preference for independence from one’ s phone) attachment. However, little is known about how these types of smartphone attachment relate to mental health over time. Moreover, the mechanism underlying the relationship between smartphone attachment and mental health is unknown. To fill these gaps, based on the attachment theory, this study examined the longitudinal associations between smartphone …

Intravital Optical Imaging Of Peripheral Nerve Injury Response, Igor Luzhansky

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Peripheral nerve injuries in animal models require imaging approaches that can reveal the dynamic, multiscale process of regeneration over time without disrupting repair mechanisms. Traditional methods lack the ability to visualize cellular behavior and matrix remodeling continuously. We present an imaging technique based on an implantable nerve window and fluorescent labeling, enabling high-resolution, longitudinal cellular-scale observation of peripheral nerve regeneration in living mice. We first evaluated near-infrared fluorophore-conjugated fibrin as a transient marker for early regenerative tissue within nerve guidance conduits. Imaging performed upon surgical re-exposure of the nerve revealed the incorporation of fibrin into early-stage regenerative cables, with gradual …

Harnessing Metabolic Modeling And Artificial Intelligence For Next-Generation Bioproduction, Zhengyang Xiao

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Bioproduction in microbial hosts faces two main challenges: (1) unique metabolism of each species is difficult to generalize, and it requires precise quantification before metabolic engineering. (2) Past experiment data are fragmented in different studies, making it difficult to combine these non-standardized data for future experiment design. These challenges lead to high costs and risks in scaling up biomanufacturing processes, where R&D requires substantial budgets and iterative experiments are expensive. This thesis addresses both challenges through two research pillars. Part I uses 13C metabolic flux analysis (MFA) and genome-scale model (GSM) to investigate metabolic limitations in bioproduction hosts. In Escherichia …

Multimodal Representation Learning For Geospatial Soundscape Mapping, Subash Khanal

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Sound is one of the fundamental senses that helps us reason about our environment. There exists an intricate relationship between the visual appearance of a location and the distribution of sounds present there. We propose leveraging this relationship to formulate the task of soundscape mapping—predicting the most probable distribution of sounds that could be perceived at a given geographic location, as observed in its overhead imagery. To support research on this task, we curated a comprehensive dataset, GeoSound, which consists of geotagged audio recordings from various sources, paired with both low- and high-resolution overhead imagery. We approach the soundscape mapping …

Mechano-Signal Transduction Pathways Of The Diaphragmatic Muscle And Role Of Cytoskeleton, Junaith S Mohamed, Patricia S Pardo, Aladin M Boriek

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Mechanotransduction, also referred to as mechano-signal transduction, is a biophysical process wherein cells perceive and respond to mechanical stimuli by converting them into biochemical signals that initiate specific cellular responses. This mechanism is fundamental to the development and growth, and proper functioning of mechanically active tissues, such as the diaphragm-a respiratory muscle vital for breathing in mammals. In vivo, the diaphragm is subjected to transdiaphragmatic pressure, and therefore, its muscle fibers are subjected to mechanical forces not only in the direction of the muscle fibers but also in the direction transverse to the fibers. Previous research conducted in our laboratory …

The Kingdom Is Here, Anna Bennett

The Main Thing Devotional

“The time promised by God has come at last!” [Jesus] announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” Mark 1:15, NLT.

Dominant Tree Species As A Driver Of Forest Herb Community Assembly: The Peculiar Case Of Pawpaw (Asimina Triloba), Anna Wassel

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the drivers of community assembly is a key goal in ecology and conservation. One way to better understand community assembly is to understand how the presence or absence of dominant species– highly abundant species with a proportionally large effect on the ecosystem–affects assembly. This approach allows for a more generalized understanding of community assembly based on the presence or abundance of one species rather than pairwise interactions among all species in a community. In forests, studies on dominant tree species have focused on how they affect patterns of species diversity. In contrast, surprisingly little is known about how dominant …

Class A Biosolids Production Using Conventional And Low-Cost, Low-Tech Processes At Small Water Resource Recovery Facilities: A Multidimensional Sustainability Assessment, Janna Brown, Robert Handler, Eric Seagren, Jennifer Becker

Michigan Tech Publications

Producing Class A biosolids is a beneficial way to reuse wastewater treatment solids, but most conventional processes are energy-intensive and expensive. There is growing interest in the use of low-cost, low-tech (LCLT) Class A biosolids treatment processes, especially at small water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). This study used a holistic sustainability assessment to examine the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of conventional and LCLT processes at small WRRFs. The technologies studied were Direct Heat Drying, Composting, Lagoon Storage, Air Drying, and Temperature-Phased Anaerobic Digestion (TPAD). Environmental impacts were determined by conducting life-cycle assessments for all technologies, which is described in …

Multi-Layer Support For Component-Based Cyber-Physical Systems Applications, Oren Bell

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Component-based design is a paradigm meant to aid in development of software applications by modularizing different functionalities of a system. This building-block approach is used extensively in cyber–physical and robotic systems. Common and established solutions to specific problems, such as perception nodes, state estimators, and motion planners, can be developed, verified, and reused as off-the-shelf modules. These modules may be integrated atop today’s heterogeneous hardware platforms, where an application can be distributed across GPUs, FPGAs, and CPU cores. When heterogeneous computational devices share the workload of a collection of components, the very act of integration may inject timing uncertainty. For …

A Mechanistic Understanding Of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Kara Michelle Donovan

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) offers great potential as a noninvasive neuromodulation technique with expanding therapeutic potential across a range of neurological and systemic indications. Yet despite strong clinical interest, the mechanistic foundations of taVNS remain incompletely understood. In contrast to the invasive form of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), taVNS has seen more limited parametric characterization, with many studies relying on parameters adopted from invasive protocols without systematic validation at the noninvasive level. This dissertation focuses on developing a more comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms of taVNS. It extends existing literature by leveraging intracranial electrophysiology to directly quantify …

Code Stories For Software Evolution, John Joseph Allen

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Programmers spend more than half of their time comprehending code, and in particular struggle to answer questions about the rationale, intent, and history behind software artifacts. Through this dissertation, I explore how history-aware tools can help programmers understand unfamiliar software artifacts. First, I investigated how providing additional context -- historical code changes grouped by the original developer's stated subgoals and the web foraging activity of the original developer impacted the process of code reuse. I found that programmers utilized these resources to 1) make better analogies between their reuse scenario and what code was already written, and 2) anchor into …

Buddhism For Thinkers, Chang-Seong Hong, Sun Kyeong Yu

MSU Authors Collection

This book is an introduction to Buddhist philosophy. It uses the methods of analytic philosophy to approach the major topics of Buddhism.

Molecular Survey Of Leptospira Spp. And Bartonella Spp. In Alaskan Voles, Tabitha Page

Biological Sciences

Leptospira spp. and Bartonella spp. are two Gram-negative bacterial genera responsible for important zoonotic diseases worldwide, yet they remain poorly studied in northern ecosystems. Out objective was to assess Bartonella and Leptospira prevalence in vole populations in Interior Alaska and examine potential associations between prevalence and human activities (landscape and resource modification from sled dog kennels and reindeer farms). I surveyed for Bartonella and Leptospira in three vole species, Clethrionomys rutilis, Microtus pennsylvanicus, and Alexandronomys oeconomus, collected from three different areas in Interior Alaska in the summer of 2024. Using conventional PCR, I targeted the 16S rRNA gene for Leptospira …

State Of Alaska Cannabis Testing, State Of Alaska

Alaska

No abstract provided.

Measuring Arctic Ground Squirrel Adult Neurogenesis In Caudal Hippocampus Using Dab/Dab-Ni Enzyme-Based Immunohistochemistry, Vy L. Nguyen

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Unconscious patients who are resuscitated after cardiac arrest often have a poor prognosis for neurological recovery and are routinely treated with therapeutic hypothermia as a standard of care. This intervention aims to reduce the risk of death and minimize brain damage. However, results from the Targeted Temperature Management 2 (TTM2) trial in 2021 indicate that cooling does not improve neurological outcomes in these patients. This finding raises questions about the neurological benefits, particularly regarding neurogenesis, of the rewarming phase of therapeutic hypothermia, as well as the effects of repeated cooling and rewarming cycles. Neurogenesis has been largely overlooked in therapeutic …

The Transformational Learning By Web-Conferencing Circuit Board: A Conceptual Model Outlining The Conditions That Facilitate Transformation In Synchronous Spaces, Rachel L. Reilly

Communication

As synchronous technologies and high-speed internet have become more accessible, opportunities for learning in web-conferencing settings have also increased. Despite the ubiquity of learning experiences taking place over web-conferencing, there is a lack of research on what makes for effective adult learning in synchronous settings from learners’ perspectives. Moreover, there are few studies examining how transformational learning—learning that changes an adult’s mindset, beliefs, or perceptions—occurs in web-conferencing settings. This qualitative study explores the conditions through which transformational learning occurs in web-conferencing settings. It includes the perspectives of adult learners (all at least eighteen years old) who have participated in a …

Gwich'in Athabascan Storybook For Primary Classrooms: Integrating Alaska Native Language And Culture Into Language Arts Curriculum, Lin Vandyke

Education

The problem addressed by this project is the lack of high-quality children’s literature that accurately embodies Alaska Native culture, specifically Gwich’in Athabascan culture, that can be used in primary classrooms. The significance of this topic is the need for materials that Alaska Native students can connect with on a personal level and that can create a greater understanding of Native culture for all individuals. The work was completed in July of 2025. The important implications of this project are the availability of an easy-to-use storybook and connected resources to read with students and have quality discussions about Athabascan language and …

A Contemporary Approach For Exploring The Influence Of Detoxification And Standardization Of Traditional Metallopharmaceutical Product Pharmacological And Toxicological Aspects, Malarvizhi K

Theses and Dissertations

Polyherbomineral formulation possess unique medicinal properties due to the presence of metals and minerals as integral part, as processed in addition to specific herbals. There is an increased interest in metallopharmaceuticals in clinical and research areas, because of their immense therapeutic efficiency towards multiple diseases and evidence for non-toxic claim. Sivanar Amirtham is one of the polyherbomineral Siddha medicine recommended for the treatment of various respiratory diseases and other ailments including antidote therapy for poisonous bites. The present research work attempted for standardization of Sivanar Amirtham preparation as per the traditional standard protocols (including the detoxification process of raw materials) …

Design And Development Of Deep Learning Based Generic Platform For Promoting Precision Agriculture, Srilakshmi A

Theses and Dissertations

Precision agriculture also referred as precision farming or smart farming, is an innovative approach to agricultural management that leverages technology and data to optimize various aspects of the farming process. This approach aims to make farming more effective, sustainable, and profitable by affording farmers with the application tools and information they need to make more informed decisions.

Precision agriculture combines elements of agriculture, technology, and data science to enhance crop production, and resource utilization. Precision agriculture techniques can be highly effective in leaf disease detection within crop fields. Machine learning has been developed incredibly across multiple domains and shown it …

Factors Influencing The Performance Of Farmer-Producer Organizations (Fpos) And Their Societal Impact In Tamil Nadu, Arjune S

Theses and Dissertations

Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) are formed mainly for the farmers to have better institutional access to acquire them. They are also under the inspiration of the director's abstinence and the incentive of getting more money. These are socio-psychological individual differences and thus of importance to markets, the perception of markets, and market relevance of group interaction. Self-esteem, attitude to participation in group activities, and willingness to participate in these types of activities are of some significance for his/her performance because they have an effect on their performance afterward.

Farmer social empowerment increased but not farmer economic empowerment did so much …

Facile Fabrication Of Protein-Polysaccharide Conjugate Multifilament Nerve Guidance Conduit For Peripheral Nerve Regeneration, Preethy Amruthavarshini R

Theses and Dissertations

Long segmental defects in peripheral nerves impair sensory and motor function by disrupting neural impulse transmission. End-to-end autologous grafting with proper fascicular complementation has demonstrated functional recovery per the Medical Research Council Classification (MRCC). However, obtaining donor nerve tissue exceeding 30 mm remains a significant challenge. Artificial hollow conduits serve as an alternative but are limited to defects smaller than 30 mm due to inadequate innervation across the lumen.

Multichannel nerve guidance conduits (mNGCs) have emerged as a promising solution by enhancing fascicular complementation similar to autografts. This study presents a two-step approach for fabricating nerve conduits with precise fascicular …

In Silico Investigations Of Class Ii Trans Activator (Ciita): Its Plausible Implications In Neuroinflammation And Neurological Disorders, Kishore N

Theses and Dissertations

Inflammation plays a significant role in maintaining homeostasis. Neuroinflammation is a chronic inflammatory response in the central nervous system (CNS), leading to brain or spinal cord dysfunction. To promote mental health, it is crucial to understand the regulation of neuroinflammation. Class II transactivator (CIITA) is a master-regulator of the major histocompatibility complex II (MHCII).

Modulation of CIITA has been suggested as a promising intervention for inflammatory conditions, including neurological disorders. However, there is limited knowledge about the role of CIITA and its interactors in inflammation. This study aimed to understand the role of CIITA in neuroinflammation and neurological disorders using …

3d Bioprinting On Electrospun Nanofibrous Scaffolds To Fabricate Myocardial Patches, Muthu Parkkavi S

Theses and Dissertations

Tissue-engineered three-dimensional (3D) myocardial patches offer superior and innovative treatment strategy for myocardial infarction (MI). Among the various scaffold fabrication techniques, electrospinning and 3D bioprinting have received great attention due to their ability to recreate native cardiac tissue mimetic characteristics. Despite several advantages, electrospun nanofibers have limitations in cell delivery due to random cell seeding, while bioprinting faces challenges in creating hydrogel constructs with ideal mechanical properties capable of supporting cardiac contraction/relaxation cycle. Hence in this work, hybrid myocardial patches were developed by converging electrospinning and bioprinting techniques.

Electrospinning of PLCL:PEOz (B73, 7:3 blend of poly-L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone (PLCL) and polyethyl oxazoline …

Hindcasting The Occurrence Time Of Major Earthquakes Using Machine Learning And Time Series Analysis, Rubidha Devi D

Theses and Dissertations

An earthquake is an intense shaking of the ground that typically occurs when tectonic plates move beneath the surface of the Earth. Scientists analyze historical seismic records and geophysical and atmospheric signs to build models estimating the probability of major earthquakes by detecting patterns and anomalies in data such as ground deformation and seismic waves. This study would help in predicting earthquakes to minimize risks of people and buildings.

The present study investigates the devastating earthquakes along the Chilean subduction zone in South America, linking non-seismic data to machine learning predictions of Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) and Relative Humidity (RH) …

Computational Studies On The Major Antioxidant Enzymes Of Wuchereria Bancrofti Towards The Development Of Anti Filarial Leads, Sureshan M

Theses and Dissertations

Lymphatic filariasis (LF), or elephantiasis, is a mosquito-borne parasitic disease affecting the lymphatic system, primarily in tropical and subtropical regions. It is the second leading cause of long-term disability and a neglected tropical disease. According to WHO, LF threatens 882 million people in 44 countries, with over 9 billion treatments administered. The disease is caused by three nematodes: Wuchereria bancrofti (90% of cases worldwide, including India), Brugia malayi (10% in Southeast and Eastern Asia), and Brugia timori (found in Timor and nearby islands). Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is an ancient disease that continues to challenge scientists and physicians. Current treatments include …